


The Art of Sewing

by EatMoreChicken



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Depression, Fanart, Finished, Fluff, Headcanon, Hunk's mom - Freeform, Mental Illness, Mild Language, Military, Pidge has a tantrum, Sewing, comfort talk, mention of Klance, same, veterinarian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-14
Updated: 2018-03-16
Packaged: 2019-03-31 09:26:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13972113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EatMoreChicken/pseuds/EatMoreChicken
Summary: Just a fluffy/angsty fic about Hunk (no ships)“Go on,” Pidge smiled. “But only if you want to.”“I’m scared she’s dead…”





	1. Angry Birds

He was truly blessed, now that he thought about it. It is one of the most undervalued, yet the most significant talents to obtain. Pure magic is what it was, absolutely remarkable. His hands had the ability to create anything. Whether it was things from vast sculptures to the intricate details, it was all achievable.

Sewing, Hunk was talking about sewing.

He first learned how to stitch because of Momma. She's a veterinarian with the curse of animals hating her. Especially when she was in veterinary school, cats thought she was a human scratch post. Every day she would come home from work and little Hunk would notice her scrubs layered with scratch marks. He took the time to teach himself how to repair clothes just for that reason. It wasn't long before Momma noticed the rough sewing along with her uniform. It's not necessarily the greatest, but she admired the cause. Thankfully, through the years, Hunk improved a great deal. Because to this day, she still hasn't earned the reliance of ruthless kittens.

Hunk enjoyed the nature of it, even though the skill has been watered-down to nothing but a pathetic job. Mainly because it's traditionally woman's work. And we all know how society feels about brown women and their accomplishments. Degraded and disregarded. Sewing has literally kept the world together. But because the practice was associated with dark-skinned women, it was feminized and overlooked. And for some reason, cishet people don't know how to keep gender out of things. For god's sake, there are legitimate discussions on whether Blue from 'Blue's Clues' is a girl or not. What the actual hell.

Who knew something as simple as sewing could create such rage. Not only because of the history, but also because of the reason Hunk is sewing in the first place. In all honesty, the situation is pretty ridiculous. It's just that Pidge doesn't know how to keep her hands to herself, a classic move. Being the only two tech geeks in the castle results in some rough positions. For instance, nobody knows how to handle Pidge and Hunk when they get into arguments. Since they think so much alike, they are constantly at each other's necks (kind of like Lance and Keith, weird, right?). So they have that going. And to make it even worse, some of their important equipment started to run low on battery and track down the path of death. This generated panic from the tiny green one. The sad part was that the "important equipment" was Pidge's phone.

Just to be clear, when the paladins first came to space, they left with everything in our pockets. Meaning, they all still have keys to dorms and phones with no chargers. And Altean technology is more superior than Earth's scummy tech. However, no one dares to tell a computer nerd to leave their phone behind, it just wasn't happening. They soon had to adapt to the Altean culture. They built their own chargers and adjusted the ports as they went along. Of course, they made the cords ten-feet long, genuinely who wouldn't. But the cables aren't perfect because they aren't exactly in one-piece. It's more like multiple lines connected with tape and left on the floor with open wires (blame Pidge for that one). Hunk knows it's not something to be called "safe" but it's still a work in progress. At least he is open to criticism.

Continuing on the story, Pidge's phone was now in single-digit battery life. But that's not the best part, she left the charger back in Shiro's room at the castle. She left…the one and only charger we have…at the castle! Her excuse was that Shiro was using it because he wanted to play Angry Birds on his puny iPhone. Lies! Hunk knows that for a fact because Shiro doesn't play that, he plays Candy Crush! Keith is the one who plays Angry Birds! Being the nice friend means memorizing information like this.

Time was running out and the phone wasn't getting any better. The tension was jumpy and voices were cracking. It all went downhill when Pidge's nerves went from 0 to 100 real quick. The second her phone's screen faded to black, was the second everybody saw their life flash before them. That's when the sweet sound of death arose.


	2. Safety Blanket

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge hates everything about the process of her phone dying. Thank the Alteans, Hunk knows exactly how to handle the situation.

Finally, the day came where Hunk’s death came sooner than he thought. He never knew it would be caused by a teeny child with a low tolerance of minor inconveniences. Hunk had his superstitions and Pidge was undeniably one of them. He safely watched the scene unfold from a distance

It began subtly with green-sleeved arms being flailed at rapid speed like a baby bird first learning how to fly. A long string of cursing echoed the area. Shiro had to immediately jump in to barricade Pidge’s mouth with his robot hand, at least he couldn’t feel the bite marks. On the other hand, that didn’t stop Pidge from scratching Shiro’s vest. Her harsh nails pierced through the fabric. Thankfully, Matt was there too. And if anyone knew Pidge’s ways of temper, it was Matt.

Matt gulped for his breath. “Woah, wo—Pidge stop screaming. It’s a phone, it’s easily rechargeable.”

“Mhpmm…HHPMMM!!” Pidge replied.

“Uh, Shiro! You may need to remove your hand!” spoken from Hunk, only a couple blocks away.

The eye-roll from Shiro was memorable, “Yeah…I got that.” He got eye-level with Pidge. “Alright, please stay calm. I’m trying my hardest here.”

Once the mouth of the raging toddler was free, Hunk knew he had to step in. He has been close to Pidge since the moment they left Earth. There was an instant connection between the two of them, between the tech talk and the similar mental needs. Seriously, this setting involved the only two introverted nerds of the bunch…this looked like a job for the one and only ray of sunshine, Hunk Garret.

“Ay, okay. Pidge, come on,” Hunk grabbed her shoulders, he knew she wasn’t going to let this go so easily. “Do you wanna talk for a bit while we walk?”

She nodded with anger plastered over her face.

They separated themselves from the group. “So, let’s look at the big picture. Your phone died.”

“Yeah, Hunk! My main source of connection! How am I supposed to communicate when I don’t have the ability to access my pho-“

“Pidge, it’s a phone that is easily rechargeable.”

Pidge started to break down. “But, I carry it everywhere. It’s with me at all times, even when I go to the bathroom. It’s right next to me.”

Hunk leaned in closer to her, it took him a minute to understand the situation. “I think I got it now.”

“Got what?”

“Your phone like a safety blanket, am I wrong? It’s common for people with anxiety to have something like this. Pretty much, your phone gives you a sense of control. It makes you feel like you have your stuff together. Because think about it, your phone is what separates you from real life and real-life horrors. You get sucked into this alternate reality where you can talk to anyone instantly. Plus, our generation has the most access to raw information compared to any other.” Hunk paused for a passing moment, “I know that your phone is what connects you back to Earth. It reminds you that there still is another world to get back to. And sometimes it’s nice to think about those things. But other times, it can be overwhelming and stressful. So it’s okay to just lose it.”

Pidge sighed, “Holy shit, Hunk. I think you may be right. It makes sense. I mean, I’m worried about my mom. She thinks that my brother and father are both dead. And I suddenly go missing without her notice and I just-“

“Pidge. It’s alright. You don’t have to explain yourself. You don’t have to let your anxiety control you.”

“Thank you.” Pidge giggled and gave Hunk one of his signature bear hugs. “Besides, how did you know all of this. You seem pretty educated on this subject.”

“Oh, well, I have the same issue. Except it’s not a phone that I’m attached to…it’s a picture. Specifically, it’s a picture of Momma.” He looked to Pidge, she seemed to be enjoying his company. “I miss her. I’m also worried for her sake and I don’t know how much longer I can put up with this feeling.”

“Go on,” Pidge smiled. “But only if you want to.”

“I’m scared she’s dead, you know. Last time I saw her, she got back from her job at the animal clinic and was still recovering from her last depression episode. It lasted for over two months. She didn’t eat or sleep. She had no idea how to take care of herself at the time. The worst part is that I’m an only child and my other mother is in the military. So she constantly travels everywhere and I’m obviously not home either. Meaning, nobody is currently able to take care of her. And it’s hard to deal with these truths most of the time. It’s hard.”

“Thank you for the comfort, Hunk. I know it was hard to talk about these things. But in a weird way, I feel kind of better now.”

“No problem, Pidge.”

Hunk and Pidge stayed in their spot for a while, not speaking a word but enjoying each other’s presence. After the week that they had, being able to be near another was enough for now.


	3. Momma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Self-care is the best kind of comfort.

 

Pidge finally recovered her self-control. She was not going to lose to her anxiety, she realized it’s what made her take things out of proportion. She has so much to look forward tomorrow so fading to mental illnesses is useless. Sometimes it’s good to take the time to focus on the big picture. It’s a phone, a form of electricity. It isn’t as important as her mind makes it out be. Breathe and everything will be alright.

As Pidge walked back to the other she heard the voice of Shiro. “Hey, Pidge, sorry for my overreaction. I’ll watch out next time.”

Pidge appreciated the thought. “Apology accepted, also sorry for scratching your jacket…how bad is it?”

“Huh, oh it’s…” Shiro looked at the marks on his chest. “It’s not that bad.”

Hunk gave his original stank-face, “Are you kidding? You literally have a five-inch cut all the way across your back.” A heavy sigh was heard, “just give me the damn thing. I’ll sew it up.”

Shiro wasn’t sure if Hunk was being serious. “Are you sure? I mean, thank you.”

“Yes, I’m sure.” He turned to Pidge. “Because you caused this, you can carry this.”

She was hurt, “bruh! I don’t- what- fine, just this once…First off, how do you know how to sew?”

Hunk gave off a wholehearted smile. “Momma taught me everything I know.”

\- - - - - - - - - - -

It was quiet, but it was warm. He was isolated, but he was happy. Hunk was back at the castle sitting in his room. He learned a lot today, not just about Pidge, but about himself. It felt good to reach into such a dark place and pour his spirit out. He was vulnerable today and he hated the feeling. The sensation of defenseless emotion felt like a kid stuck in a tree for too long. The apprehension would grow bigger and bigger as he waited. Like they say, the higher the climb, the harder you fall. So, the longer he let the anxiety build-up, the worse it would be to recover.

Being able to talk to Pidge, someone he trusted and loved, gave a better familiarity of his emotions and how they should be handled. He never comprehended how toxic it can be to hold in those thoughts. Every once and a while, it’s good to just ramble about the things bugging you in life, whether they are measurable or boundless.

It was time to cool off. Hunk knew his limits and today he certainly reached those. He also knew his ways of coping with his anxiety. It didn’t occur to him that both Pidge and he have more in common in areas like these. A small piece that they kept with them near and far.

Hunk taped his photograph to the wall. It presented a soft, flowy outline of Momma. She was still wearing the clothing Hunk patched up for her when he was younger. She was outside near an old tree giving a thumbs-up. The concept of the pose made him laugh. Momma was uncooperative when it came to photos. She graduated veterinary school. With that said, Hunk forced her to put on the iconic stitched-up-scrubs and take a photo for memories to come. Of course, the problem was that her instinctive pose was a thumbs-up with her eyes closed! But at least she was still smiling. That’s all Hunk wanted to remember, the way she glowed when she smiled.

Shiro’s shirt still had gaping holes in it and it wasn’t going to repair itself. Hunk quickly got to work on the vest. Now that he had more experience in sewing, it came with ease. The thread weaved through the cloth reminding him of how happy Hunk used to be sewing his mother’s clothing. It was a good memory, but now he gets to make new memories with people who also loved him. He valued every single person here: Pidge, Shiro, Lance, Keith, Allura, Coran, Matt, even the mice. Every single life-form here, Hunk cared about and they always returned the favor.

It was the best thing about life, giving to others and watching them give right back. Seeing the mutual acknowledgment and admiration towards one another is what kept the universe going, it’s what keeps Hunk going.

**Author's Note:**

> Any feedback is great, even criticism. Thanks for reading!


End file.
